Fixture support and method of making the same



May 27, 1930. w. J. CORMAY FIXTURE SUPPORT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed June 8, 1927 //////////////////////fl/i7/;

V T a A mm 1 n k mm r. m Y b Patented May 27, 1 930 1 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER J. COB-MAY, F AUBURN DALE, MASSACHUSETTS FIXTURE SUPPORT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application filed June 8, 1927. Serial No. 197,500.

This invention relates to improvements in from one longitudinal edge, adapted to be supports for electric fixtures and the like and bent to provide a bar-supporting aperture; the object thereof is to provide a fixture sup- Fig. at is an elevation of a nipple formed port which can be readily and adjustably from the plate illustrated in Fig. 3 with the 5 clamped upon an anchoring device, such as extensions bent to receive the supporting bar 55 a supporting bar adapted to be secured to which is illustrated in cross section; the wall of ceiling. Fig. 5 is a view, mainly in elevation, of the A further object of the invention is to construction shown in Fig. 4, viewed at right provide an electric fixture support comprisangles to the position illustrated in Fig. 4;

ing a section of a threaded pipe, which for and, c0 convenience in description is referred to Fig. 6 is a modified construction of the herein as a nipple, and which is so 0011- device shown in Figs. 4 and 5. structed as to present a transverse aperture The present application is a continuation to receive the supporting bar, with a nut in part of my prior application Serial Numupon the nipple operable to clamp the bar ber 120,011 (Patent No. 1,647,505) filed July 65 against a wall of the aperture through which 2, 1926, for improvements in outlet boxes and the bar extends. fixture supports.

A further object of the invention is to pro- The installation of usual types of outlet vide a nipple of this character which can boxes and fixture supports presents many be economically constructed. problems owing to different structural con- 10 A further object of the invention is to proditions of bulidings in which they are invide a fixture-supporting device of the charstalled. Chambered outlet boxes are usually acter above described which can be readily required to be embedded in the walls in such associated with an outlet box and in which a manner that the face of the box is flush construction the outlet box may be mounted With the surface of the wall. As outlet boxes upon the supporting bar and th i pl adare ordinarily installed by screwing the base justed lengthwise of the bar within said to a suitable support, various expedients outlet box. have to be employed to obtain proper instal- A further object of the invention is to prelation upon different types of structure, such vide a novel blank for producing a fixture as, usual lath and plastered walls, construc- :1 support of the character disclosed herein. i ns in which the lath and plaster are sup- Other objects and features of the invenported upon furring, constructions in which tion will more fully appear from the followmetal lathing is employed, and particularly ing description and the accompanying drawdrop ceiling constructions in which metal ing and will b artic larl i t d t i lathing is carried by channel bars which are L the claims. supported from hangers depending from the In the drawings; floor above. Difficulty is frequently experi- Fig, 1 is a vertical ti al i w f a enced in obtaining proper a'linement of fixeutlet box m u t d upon a supporting b tures which depend from the outlet boxes in and having a fixture-supporting nipple emview of the impossibility to obtain proper bodying the present invention adj ustably alinement of the boxes themselves. The nt d upon th b prior apphcation above identified relates to Fi 2 i a transverse ti l i w the production of an outlet box construction through the wall of the nipple in the plane Whlch the -l box is adapted to be ad.-

of the aperture which receives the support- 1 1 11I1 upon a supporting oar ing bar, illustrating also the supporting bar having holes located at suitable distances extending through said aperture; from each end to receive nails or screws by Fig. 3 is a plan view of a threaded metal means of which it may be secured to the plate adapted to be formed into a pipe secfurring, girders, or studding, or other portion or nipple, said plate having extensions tions of the building structure.

The present invention relates particularly to the fixture support which is so constructed as to be adjustable upon the supporting bar which, in the construction illustrated, extends through the outlet box. The present invention, however, contemplates a construction in which a fixture support in the form of a nipple may be readily clamped upon a supporting bar, or upon any suitable anchoring device independently ottlie outlet box. In its broader sense the invention contemplates the production as an article of manufacture of a nipple having means to receive a bar or anchoring device with means for clamping the nipple upon the anchoring de vice. I 5 j j The construction illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing comprises a chambered outlet box havinga base 1 provided with suitable knock-outs 2 and having ,a peripheral wall likewise provided with knock-outs 4: through which the ends of cables andG may,beintroduced into the box, the cables 5 and 6 being shown in Fig. 1 as entering the box and clamped ther in by a yoke 7 engaging said cables, with, a screw 7 8 passing through the yoke and seated in the base of the box acting to clamp the cables against the bottom of the box. The'outlet box illustrated in Fig. 1 is provided with oppositely disposed apertures 9 and 10 through which a supporting bar 11 extends, the supporting barbeing shown as securedtosuitable furring 12 forming part of the building structure. Theperipheral wall of the outlet box is provided with diametrically opposite, inwardly extending, ears 13 having screw threaded apertures in which screws 14 are seated, the screws 14 bearing at their ends against the supporting bar name clamping the same against the opposite walls of the apertures 9 and 10. A canopy l5vserves to close the open face of the outlet box, this canopy being provided with inwardly extendingears 16 having bayonet slotsto receive the headset the screws and by slight'rotation to bring the shank of the screws into the narrow portions of the bayonet slot thereby detachably securing the canopy to the outlet box. f

The present inventionre'l'ates particularly to the electric fixture support within the box which is ladustably. mounted upon the sup porting bar 11. In the construction disclosed in 1, the lixture supporting device is in the form of a short pipe section or nipple 17 the cylindrical body of which is screw threaded. Diametrically oppositely disposed apertures 18 and 19 (see Fig. 2) are formed in the wall of the nipple by milling, or otherwise, and desirably are of rectangular form and'oi' such size as to permit the supporting bar 11 to be inserted therethrough. By reason of this construction the electric fixture support or nipple may be readily adjusted lengthwise of the bar. A nut 20, upon the n pple, may be screwed up to engage one face of thesupporting bar and clamp the bar against the opposite walls of the apertures 18 and 19. By reason of this construction the fixture support or nipple may be readily brought into alinement with other fixture supports although the outlet boxes themselves may be out of 'alinement in the building construction. By reason of the present inventio ntherefore,an adjustable fixture support is provided which can be readily assembled and adjusted thereby enabling the outlet box to be installed with less care than would be otherwise necessary to provide the proper alinement of the fixtures. W

Obviously the nipple may itself be secured adj us'tably upon 'asiipporting bar or other anchoring crevice independently '01": the outlet box and the nipple, therefore, is adapted to provide convenient means for supporting electric fixtures and other devices from the ceiling or wall of the building as the supg bar can be readily attached to the iurring, bea1ns,'or studding of the building, and the nipple adjustably secured upon the supporting bar. The articles to be supported may thereupon be attached to-the projecting screw threaded end of the nipple.

Inasmuch as themilling of nipples to provide opp-cisii'jely disposed apertures to receive the supporting bar is somewhat difi'icult and costly, a further object of the invention is to a nipple which can be readily con- 'struc l a comparatively lit" This is accomplishedby providing a threaded blank preferably having-extensions from one edge thereof which willexteud from diametrically opposite 'portiogis ofthe nipple when rolled into cylindrical rorin, the'ends of such extensions being bent toward each other to provide a 'guideway presenting alined barreceiving apertures diametrically of the nipple. In constructing such a nipple a flat plate 21 of sheet metal is-provided of substan- 'tially rectangular form with extensions 22 and 23extendiug from one edge thereof, each L a i being located at equal distances irom the adjacent end of the blankand the longitudinal middle of the blank and of a lengthsubstan- V,

tially equal to the radius of the nipple so that when the blank is rolled into cylindrical form the extensions 22 and23 will extend from diametric'allyopposite portions of the nipple.

The nipple may be screw threaded in any desired manner. For the'purposeof economy, screw threads 2 lare formed in the plate 21, portions 25 or said threads desirably being also formed upon the'extensions 22 and 23. After the plate 21 has been bent or rolled into cylindrical form, for example as shown in Figsjl anfd'5, the end portions26 and 27 ofthe extensions 22 and 23 are bent toward each 'other'at a distance from the edge 21 may be bent or rolled-to provide either'an '28 of the nipple. Obviously the threaded plate externally or an internally threaded nipple adapted to receive a nut or other fitting having complementary screw threads to engage the thread of the nipple and adapted to be screwed up sufiiciently to engage the bar 11 and clamp it against the bent sections 26 and 27 of the extensions 22 and 2-3. The bent portions of these extensions desirably are of such length that the ends thereof abut, as illustrated in Fig. 4:, and may, if desired, be connected together by welding. The exten sions thus bent provide a loop which presents a rectangular aperture 29 to receive the bar 11. A nut 30 upon the cylindrical screw threaded portion of the nipple is employed to clamp the bar against the bent sections 26 and 27 of the extensions which form the wall of the aperture through which the bar 11 extends. By threading a portion or all of the extensions 22 and 23 the nut can be screwed up far enough to insure the proper clamping of the bar even though the bar be of less thickness than the width of the aperture through which it extends. Thus the nipple is adapted to receive bars of different thickness.

In Fig. 6 a modified construction is shown in which the legs of a U-shaped bar or plate 31 extend into one end of the nipple 32 and are secured thereto by spots or lines of brazing or soldering 33. In this construction the bar 11 extends through the aperture provided by the U-shaped member 31 and the bar is clamped against the U-shaped member by a nut 34. Obviously various other forms of the invention may be produced within the meaning and scope of the following claims. It will, therefore, be understood that the particular embodiments of the invention shown herein are illustrative in character and not restrictive of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, wh at is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. An adjustable support for electric fixtures and the like comprising a nipple having at one end diametrically opposite relatively narrow extensions of bendable material, the end portions of which are bent toward each other at a distance from the circular end of the nipple to provide a transverse aperture to receive a supporting bar and a nut on said nipple operable to clamp the bar against the bent portions of said extension.

2. An adjustable support for electric fixtures and the like comprising a threaded plate of cylindrical form presenting a nipple having at one end diametrically opposite relatively narrow extensions of bendable material, the end portions of which are bent toward each other into the same plane at a distance from the circular end of the pipe to pro vide a rectangular transverse aperture to receive a supporting bar, screw threads upon said nipple and a nut thereupon operable to clamp the bar against said extension.

3. An adjustable support for electric fixtures and the like, comprising a nipple of substantially uniform diameter throughout, having at one end a relatively narrow extension of bendable material of substantially uniform thickness and width, a portion of which extends transversely of said nipple, thereby to provide means to engage a supporting bar, and a nut on said nipple operable to clamp the bar against said transverse portion of the extension.

4. A blank for making supporting nipples for electric fixtures which comprises a rectangular plate of a length corresponding to the circumference of the cylindrical nipple to be formed and having longitudinally extending screw thread grooves and means to provide a transverse aperture through said nipple when formed.

5. A blank for making supporting nipples for electric fixtures which comprises a rectangular plate of a length corresponding to the circumference of the cylindrical nipple to be formed and having longitudinally extending screw-thread grooves and an extension projecting from one edge adapted to be bcelnt into parallelism with the plane of said e ge.

6. A blank for making supporting nipples for electric fixtures which comprises a rectangular plate of a length corresponding to the circumference of the cylindrical nipple to be formed and having longitudinally extending screw-thread grooves and narrow extensions project-ing from one edge thereof, each of which extensions is located at substantially equal distances from the adjacent end and from the middle of the length of said plate and of a length substantially equal to the radius of the nipple.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER J. CORMAY. 

